1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a column blind device that covers a gap between an instrument panel and a cover of a steering column.
2. Description of the Related Art
A tilting-type or a telescopic-type steering column is adopted for recent automobiles to allow the angle and position of a steering wheel to be adjusted for a build of a driver. With such automobiles, when the steering column is moved in the up-down direction or the vehicle front-rear direction, the size of a gap between an instrument panel and a column cover that covers the steering column increases or decreases.
In order to cover the gap between the instrument panel and the column cover, column blind devices are used. In some column blind devices, a flexible blind is supported by an attachment for the instrument panel (referred to as an “instrument-panel attachment” hereafter) and an attachment for the column cover (referred to as a “column-cover attachment” hereafter) and disposed between the instrument-panel attachment and the column-cover attachment. The blind is disposed over the gap between the instrument panel and the column cover, that is, the gap is covered with the blind (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-247737).
Meanwhile, a space between the instrument-panel attachment and the column-cover attachment is small. For this reason, it is difficult to make the blind exactly follow movements of the steering column in the up-down direction and the vehicle front-rear direction, and accordingly, bending creases and slack creases may occur in the blind. It is particularly difficult to make the blind exactly follow the movements of left and right corner projections on an upper surface of the column cover in the up-down direction and the vehicle front-rear direction. Accordingly, bending creases and slack creases are likely to occur at the left and right corner projections in the blind.
Furthermore, in a column blind device according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-247737, a front wall is formed in the instrument-panel attachment. Accordingly, when the steering column is moved toward the front of a vehicle body, advancement of part of the blind on a column-cover upper surface side is suppressed by the front wall. However, advancement of parts of the blind on column-cover left and right vertical wall sides toward the front of the vehicle body cannot be suppressed by the front wall. Thus, the amount of advancement may differ between the part of the blind on the column blind device upper surface side and the parts of the blind on the column-cover left and right vertical wall sides, and accordingly, bending creases and slack creases may occur in the blind.